Robaina, Gimenez Race to the Wire in Miami-Dade Mayoral Runoff

Early returns pointed to a tight race in Miami-Dade's mayoral runoff Tuesday night.

Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez were vying to succeed Carlos Alvarez, who was ousted in a recall election this spring.

With 499 of 829 precincts reporting Tuesday evening, Gimenez was ahead by a 51 percent to 49 percent margin.

Late opinion polls showed Gimenez leading, despite Robaina's large fundraising edge.

Both Gimenez and Robaina are Republicans. Robaina garnered endorsements from the influential Latin Builders Association and from socially conservative groups such as the Christian Family Coalition while Gimenez was endorsed by the Miami Herald and several gay-rights organizations.